A web portal, also referred to as a portal, is a website comprising one or more web pages that bring together information from one or more sources in a unified way. Typically, each information source is dedicated an area, also referred to as a portlet, on a web page for displaying information, e.g., a window on the web page. The portlet may be one of the modules that constitute the portal. Web portals are used for different web features and services, such as search engines, email services, news, stock prices, information, databases, entertainment, other applications, or combinations thereof. The portals allow enterprises (e.g., Internet and online businesses) to provide a consistent or familiar look and feel with access control and procedures for different applications and databases.
Portals may be public web portals for general public use and access. Examples of public web portals include Microsoft Network (MSN)™, iGoogle™, Yahoo™, and America Online (AOL)™. Other portals may be designed for specified use and access, such as portals for ecommerce, healthcare benefits information, cloud storage, etc. Web developers may design, package, and customize portals and portlets for customers, such as Internet based businesses and other industries that use web based applications for providing services. For example, a healthcare payer (e.g., a healthcare insurance company) may use a healthcare befits information portal to allow healthcare insurance plan members and/or healthcare service providers to access healthcare benefits eligibility information online.